A slim, balanced and attractive batsman, Ken Rutherford battled back from a dreadful start to his international career to become a regular in the New Zealand side. But there was always the feeling that he had not made the most of his considerable talent. In 1984-85, aged 19, he bagged a pair on debut and managed just 12 runs in seven innings, although it was against West Indies in their pomp and in the Caribbean. Thereafter he was frustratingly inconsistent. He scored three Test centuries, and in 1986 he smashed 317 at Scarborough Festival to show what he was all about - the innings included 199 between lunch and tea, his third hundred coming off 35 minutes off 33 balls. In between, however, there were more failures than there should have been. He captained New Zealand from 1992 to 1995, when he lost the job after a poor season. He captained Gauteng in South Africa, also had a spell as Ireland's coach, and rivalled Doug Walters as one of cricket's legendary punters.
Wisden Cricinfo staff October 2004